Balance Recovered
by Pyrebender
Summary: Started this just after 'Bitter Work.' The gang is saved by the infamous Blue Spirit, and sent to a safe harbor to train. Please keep reading, remember this is a Zutara.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Avatar

A/N: Wrote quite a bit of this before starting 'A World's Redemption.' Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 1: Zuko Makes His Decision

Zuko sat upon the cliff edge gazing past the surrounding mountains toward the plains beyond. He had traveled those lands over the past month on his own. He'd stumbled upon this place completely by accident, but there was no mistaking what it was, an air temple. He had been living there for a week, surviving on the fruits of valley trees and mountain goats. He did what he could to clean as much as he could. So far he'd only succeeded in cleaning a bedroom, the kitchen, and all but the real heavy lifting in the main courtyard. The thing that took the most time had been setting up graves for the remains of the bodies, both Air Nomads and Fire Nation. The rest of his time had been spent training to the point of exhaustion.

Watching the sunsets from this cliff had been beautiful, but it had also given him time to think about the past. Over the past month he'd seen things that made him doubt that anyone would gain anything from this war. There had been one incident where he had seen an Earth Kingdom regiment use the same tactic he'd been banished for voicing out against. As the Blue Spirit he'd been able to warn a village that was serving as a Fire Nation base of a plot by a group of water benders with a bunch of kids. He thought he'd heard one of them called Jet. He could still remember the small boy he had carried out of harms' way clinging to his shirt with all of his strength, only letting go once they'd found his mother.

After the fight with the water tribe warriors he made his escape. Funnily enough, there had been no pursuit of the fugitive. Zuko merely chalked it up to the villagers' gratitude, and that they were returning the favor. The thing that bothered him the most was that the water benders had to know that there'd been Earth Kingdom civilians there, and yet they'd still flood the village. What did this mean for relations between the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom? He'd always thought that the two nations were on friendly terms with each other, but if they were willing to sacrifice the others' people what would happen if the Avatar was successful in ending the war? For that matter what would happen to the Fire Nation?

Even as the thoughts came so did a multitude of answers for them. Without the Fire Nation to fight it would only be a matter of time before the two nations, so accustomed to war, would begin against each other. All the while if the Avatar defeats the Fire Lord and his nation the others nations would demand such reparations that the Fire Nation would crumble. It was then that he decided, the war must end, but not as any of the nations wished it to end. What had his uncle talked of once? Balance had to be maintained or the world would end. He had a lot of work to do.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Refer to Ch.1

Chapter 2: Enigmatic Message

Aang, Sokka, Katara, Toph, and their newest addition Iroh were at the market of the town of Chow Seng. Iroh was trying to teach Aang the fine art haggling at a vendor selling tea, and Toph laughing at their antics the whole time. Sokka was enamored with all the foods he was seeing at all the different vendors, a local sweet on a stick already in his mouth. Katara spent her time buying the actual supplies she knew they needed, using the large new bag Sokka had bought. As they had managed to find both earth bending and fire bending teachers for Aang they really had no place to go in a hurry until he learned the two arts.

Katara had just rounded the corner to another street of vendors when at the other end of the street came a group of five Fire Nation soldiers. She tried to act casually, but any hope of that was lost as one pointed her out to the rest of the group. Soon she was running from the soldiers, trying to find a large enough source of water to fight the group or any of the others to help her. She looked back to see that they were catching up so she ducked into an alleyway. Once in it she immediately found that it ended after about ten feet. Why was it that people built these dead end alleyways in pretty much every town or city? They really get annoying after a while.

As the soldiers came into the alley a shadow descended upon them from above. Katara watched as the front most soldier looked up toward the roofs, and a look of shock crossed his face. Before she had the chance to look up at what was there, a figure in black with a blue mask and two swords drawn dropped down in front of her. Immediately the person flung himself at the group, and became nothing more than a black and blue blur with two flashing blades. The one thing she noticed was that he wasn't killing the soldiers only knocking them unconscious.

He slammed the last one against a wall, and let the man slide to the ground. Then the masked figure walked straight up to her, stopping a foot away from her. She tried to look through the eyeholes at his eyes, but was interrupted when something poked her stomach. She looked down at a scroll in his hand, 'AVATAR' written upon the side. As soon as she took hold of it the man nodded and jumped back up onto the roofs and disappeared. Katara was still looking at where he'd gone when Toph came up to the alley.

"You alright Katara? I felt some trouble over this way." Toph said.

Katara replied, "Huh, oh, oh yeah I'm fine. Lets uh, let's go find the others."

It didn't take too long to find the rest of their group as they'd begun trying to find them. Even in the few minutes since it had happened it appeared that everyone in the market knew what had happened. Aang and Sokka were their usual worried selves after they learned she was attacked. The only one who seemed to take it almost as nothing was Iroh. It wasn't that he didn't care that she'd been chased, but he was too worried with what was to happen now. The only reason those soldiers would have been there was if they were part of a larger force. After all this wasn't a Fire Nation controlled area.

"I believe we should move out as soon as possible." The elder man suggested.

Sokka turned to him and asked, "But where are we supposed to go?"

Katara held up the scroll, and said, "I'm not sure, but the guy that saved me gave this to me. Here Aang."

Aang unrolled the scroll to find that it was a map. The town was indicated by a dot with a line going from it to circled portion.

With his normal smile, Aang said, "Hey why don't we go here."

Toph replied, "That sounds pretty stupid. How do we know this isn't some kind of trap?"

"But the guy saved Katara. Why would he want to trap us?" Aang reasoned.

Sokka reasoned, "Because almost every time we go someplace that we're told to it's a trap."

Iroh looked up from the map and said in a serious tone, "Either way it would not be wise to stay much longer in the area. I have no doubt that Azula will soon be here, looking for us. Besides this at least gives us an idea of someplace we could go."

It was quickly agreed upon that they would at the least give the destination a chance. After arriving there they would choose their next course of action. They made a few last minute purchases of supplies they'd need, and were soon off again on Appa. They could see out in the distance the smoke from the motorized wagon that Azula's team used. It was still a ways out from the city, but it was drawing closer. They decided to keep near the treetops to keep from being spotted too quickly.

They'd only been traveling for about ten minutes when Katara noticed that Iroh was gazing off into the distance, lost in his thoughts. She had a good idea what, or rather who, he was thinking of. She still thought back sometimes on the day that Zuko had brought Iroh to them. Iroh's shoulder had gotten worse, beyond Zuko's limited ability to care for, and brought him to her. One night he'd just walked up to their camp leading the ostrich horse with his uncle lying across the saddle. He'd gently pulled the man down, laying him before her. He'd then bowed down and petty much begged her to do what she could for Iroh. When she'd agreed he got up and lead the ostrich horse away, leaving only a note for his uncle. They'd not seen or heard of him since.

A volley of arrows soaring up past Appa disturbed their thoughts. All of them but Toph peered over the side of the large saddle, but saw nothing but the trees below. Another arrow came at them, and Iroh's hand shot out and snatched it before it could hit Sokka, who'd stood to look over the others. He made a careful examination of the arrow from tip to knock.

"We have a new problem. It would appear that Azula has added the YuuYan Archers to her force. They are the most fearsome archers in the world." Iroh explained quickly.

They had begun a number of evasive maneuvers, swerving from side to side, taking sharp turns in various directions, etc. It worked for the first few minutes, but they were soon met by a loud cry of pain from Appa. He'd been hit in the left flank, the arrow about two thirds of the way in. As he went on they began to lose altitude.

Sokka yelled, "Oh no, we do NOT want to go DOWN! Come on Appa, yip yip! You can do it, please go back up!"

"It's no good! We'll have to set down over by that chasm!" Aang shouted back to the others. "Hang on!"

Appa hit the ground on just the opposite side of the chasm at a slide, only stopping after about twenty feet. They each climbed off staggeringly, and after shaking off the shock of the crash they went to see about the arrow. As Sokka carefully removed the arrow, Katara was preparing to heal the hole it left. They all froze at what they heard next.

A girl's voice called, "Having trouble with your oversized throw rug?"


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: refer to Ch.1

Chapter 3: Battle at the Bridge

They turned to see Azula and her two friends just beyond a sturdy stone bridge. Even at their distance they could still make out the cruel smirk on her face. The five rushed to the end of the bridge, ready to try and fend the three girls off.

Azula looked at them then said with slight amusement in her voice, "I don't see Zuzu anywhere. Did you finally tire of him too Uncle, or did he commit some kind of _honorable_ ritualistic suicide because he failed to defeat me AGAIN?"

From beside him, Katara could hear a slight growl from Iroh at the sarcasm as Azula said the word honorable. She knew that Zuko had always been obsessed with his honor. He had even tried to coerce her into helping him once just to capture Aang and get his honor back. She never quite understood how he could talk about such a thing as if it were a tangible object. She'd asked Iroh once why Zuko was the way he was, but he'd just said that it wasn't his place to say.

"Tell me niece, where are the archers? If they were here they'd have revealed themselves and formed a firing line by now." Iroh called out.

Mei whispered next to her, "He's right. They should've shown themselves by now."

The smirk was lost at these words. She knew they were right, and it infuriated Azula that one of the supposed best units in the army was acting so incompetently. She would have it out for them later, if they dared to show their faces. All of them were startled by the sound of the lizard mounts. They turned to look toward the animals to see them scampering into the woods, chased by a squawking bird…thing, and a man in black with a blue mask standing where they'd been.

The three recognized him at once as the Blue Spirit, the infamous thief who'd defied the late Admiral Zhao and had run a short spree of thefts in the Earth Kingdom. The man looked straight at them, the smiling mask taunting them. He then tossed the item in his hand on to the ground in front of Azula's feet. A simple glance down told them exactly what the item was, a bundle of bows. These were not just any bows, they were the bows made specifically for the YuuYan Archers.

Azula quirked an eyebrow and asked, "So, you killed them?"

He shook his head.

Mai commented, "Then you knocked the six of them out, and bound them. There's no other way you could have taken those bows from them. It's rather impressive."

"Take care of him Ty Lee!" Azula ordered.

Ty Lee ran forward toward the masked man. She had expected him to move some how, but he just stood there like a statue. Her leg lashed out at him when she came up beside him. She found her self stopped by a hand around her ankle. He then pushed outward sending her falling onto the ground. She got back up to see him rushing at her ready to strike out at her with a fist. Her instincts kicked in and she stepped aside, striking the nerve point in his arm. As predicted it fell limply to his side, but he dropped down and swept her feet. To counter she back flipped landing in a crouch, and lunged back at him. From his lowered position he was able to roll back using his legs to carry her over.

Ty Lee saw what was about to happen, and knew she'd have no way to actually stop it. She was going to miss the ledge of the chasm by mere inches. She could only hope that there was a lower ledge she'd be able to grab hold of. Her eyes were clenched shut when she suddenly felt a strong grip on her wrist, and the jolt of her sudden stop. Her eyes widened as far as they could as she looked up at the blue mask above her. Ty Lee just couldn't understand it. Why did he save her? She had attacked him, but here he was pulling her up to safety.

The Blue Spirit pulled her up, and led her over to a tree. As Ty Lee sat against it, he turned toward the other two. She had heard deep breaths after pulling her up, but they'd slowed as he took her over to the tree. She felt almost guilty about immobilizing the man's arm, but it would make it easier for the other two to capture him.

Azula yelled, "Ty Lee, what do you think you're doing? Get up and attack!"

"Sorry Azula, but I owe him now. I think I'll repay him by staying out of the rest of this fight." She replied with a half apologetic smile.

Azula scoffed, "Fine. Mai, if you would."

Without a reply, Mai brought her arm up shooting three darts at the man before them. He dove into a roll toward to the side, but had to stop short to avoid the small burst of flame that appeared next to him. His head shot up to see Azula with a cruel, amused smirk on her face. Doing so, he hadn't noticed the dart sent straight at him. It sunk into the disabled arm, and he fell to one knee, letting out a hiss of pain. He dodged a few more by jumping to the side, towards the chasm, and growled as he pulled the dart from his arm.

The others watched stunned as the masked man fought the three across the bridge from them. Toph could feel the determination of each of the person's moves, and could almost swear that she recognized the person. She just couldn't put her finger on the name. Sokka actually found himself rooting for this person he had only seen an image of him on wanted posters in a few towns. Then again, he'd root for anyone that fought against the Fire Nation, criminal or not. Well, that wasn't true there had been that Jet guy, who tried to kill a whole lot of people.

Iroh looked on at the figure, and recognized the person at once. His heart swelled knowing that he was all right, but feared that he was pushing himself too hard. Part of him wished to run to his aide, but he understood that he had to continue training Aang. That meant staying alive, but if it were possible he would be taking him with them. Aang, having already been saved by the man once, knew exactly whom he was, but still he was unsure whether to tell the others. At first it had been about keeping the others from worrying over his being captured. Now though, he was just plain confused over the man's motives.

Katara gazed at the man flinging himself around on the other side of the chasm. He was moving with grace and power. She had seen very few people fight like this, and she had to admit that she was kind of awed at his abilities. They'd fought these girls before and the fact that he'd attacked them alone showed his courage. She'd not been able to prevent the gasp that escaped her lips when the dart had hit the man's arm. She wanted to rush to his aide, but when she had taken a single step Iroh's arm stopped her. _Please be okay_, she pleaded in her mind.

As Mai approached him the Blue Spirit grunted as he concentrated on his disabled arm. With one last angry grunt he raised his arm up over his shoulder, grasping the sword on his back. Within an instant the sword had been swung in an intimidating manner and been split into its two halves. Mai shot another barrage at him, but he used the broadswords to deflect the projectiles. Following this he made a quick charge at her. She found herself backed against a tree as the blades came to either side of her neck, but never actually touched her. She could only blink as the blades were removed and the man turned to face the blast of blue flame that approached the two. He used his two swords to dissipate the blast as it hit. There was one thing perfectly certain about this man now, and it was that he was a firebender.

Before the smoke had time to clear a sharp, hard strike hit the small of his back, pushing him forward. Azula didn't allow him to catch his balance as she delivered a strong roundhouse to his stomach. As he staggered backwards toward the bridge, Azula threw another powerful fire blast at him. This sent him sprawling onto about the middle of the bridge. The others began to move to help, but he put out a hand to stop them as he began to rise.

Azula gave the man a sadistic smile as she announced, "I've figured out who you are, Mr. Blue Spirit. There's only one firebender in the world that would _dare_ to try and foil my plans to capture the Avatar and my foolish, old uncle. Isn't that right, Zuzu?"

"WHAT?" Sokka shouted.

Katara was speechless. How could her brave rescuer possibly, in a hundred years ever be the ill-tempered Prince Zuko? There just had to be a mistake. She watched, eyes wide, as the man untied the knot holding his mask in place, and tossed it back toward the gang. With his back to them she couldn't see his face even as he lowered the hood that covered the back of his head. Her eyes caught one thing though, his left ear. He'd kept his hair the same length it'd been when his uncle had been injured, and there was no mistaking that burn-scarred stub of an ear. The Blue Spirit was Prince Zuko.

"You will not be taking the Avatar or Uncle, Azula." He said plainly.

Zuko looked back across the bridge at the three girls with a hard stare, but not a hateful one. Mai and Ty Lee had come up beside her, and were practically gaping at him. This was Zuko, Azula's older brother that they'd seen her pick on, and show up multiple times throughout their lives. They'd heard most of the stories about his failures from Azula over many years. They knew that he was supposed to be nothing but a failure, but he'd been able to hold his ground against them. This was not the same boy who'd begged for forgiveness three years ago that they'd heard about. Nor was it the boy who they had seen pass by so many times at the palace. This was a completely new person standing before them.

Azula smirked, "And tell me, just who is going to stop me? Certainly not you, you're tired from dealing with the YuuYan and fighting us the little you have. You don't have the strength to keep fighting."

Closing his eyes he said, almost pleasantly, "You're right, I don't have the strength to keep fighting like I have."

This was a shock for everyone on both ends of the bridge. This sounded nothing like him at all. He'd never admit to something like that. His pride and anger at her words would always keep him silent about something like that. That in itself was probably the first time Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph had ever heard him talk in that kind of tone.

"Wait! I want to know one thing, Zuko. Ty Lee's nerve strike should have paralyzed your arm for at least fifteen more minutes. How is it that you could move it so soon." Mai inquired. This was possibly the first time she had actually said anything directly to him.

Zuko replied, "I was too determined to make it move. That's also how I will stop you three. Uncle, I want you to do something for me!"

"Whatever you ask." Iroh said.

"Help the Avatar end this war _correctly_! Protect the Fire Nation!" Zuko continued, "And uncle…"

"Yes?" The old man asked, hoping what he thought was about to happen didn't.

Zuko looked back over his shoulder, giving him a grateful smile, and said, "Thank you"

He then dropped into a wide stance and reached his fists down almost to the ground. With a loud shout he quickly raised them up above him. This movement was followed by a rumbling sound from down in the chasm, and then they saw it. Lava rushed up from below, ten feet in either direction from the bridge. They were moving back, shielding their eyes from the fiery glow of the molten gusher. It sizzled and cracked, a red wall between them. It finally began to descend, and where there had once been the Bridge of Hotaru there was only open space. Aang caught the glimpse of something falling toward them. It landed in the dirt near the mask, and they saw it was an ornate dagger in its sheath.

Iroh fell to his knees before the two items left of his nephew, and gingerly picked them up. He gazed at the items unbelievingly. Is this how the bloodline of old ended? It was true that Azula still lived, but even if she survived the war and married their bloodline would eventually fade. Was this his curse for all that time he had fought in the war, for trifling with the spirits? Was he condemned to lose every son he'd ever known?

Toph and Katara came up to either side of him, both sensing the feelings of pain and loss emanating from the old man. Aang and Sokka were now in front of them, deflecting the darts and balls of flame that reached their side.

Iroh, regaining his senses, quickly said, "Miss Katara you must heal Appa so that we can make a hasty retreat."

Katara nodded, and ran to the flying bison's side while Toph aided the old man in standing. As soon as he was up, Toph raised a rock wall along the edge of the chasm, providing at least a temporary shield. Soon it was as if the arrow had never hit, and they climbed up into the large saddle. It took a few yards of running before he could become airborne as the spot still retained some pain. They decided to head northeast until they'd be out of sight before heading to the location on the map. Upon their rise into the air the shrill scream of a deeply angered Fire Nation princess reached for hundreds of yards.

Once they were safely away from the area a quiet sob was heard from the rear of the saddle. The four younger people turned to see Iroh, The Dragon of the West, slouched over crying with the mask and dagger held against him. Seeing this unusual display sunk in just what the elder man had lost. He'd told them of losing his son, Lu Ten, to the war years prior. Now though, now he had lost his nation and the last family member who had any love for him, who had been a second son to him. So one by one they gathered around him. Katara wrapped her arms around his shoulders, Sokka placed a comforting hand on his opposite shoulder, and Aang and Toph both sat beside him. They gazed off toward the setting sun on the western horizon.

'_I rise with the sun_,' Katara remembered his words and added, '_and set with it_.'


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Refer to Ch. 1

A/N: I'm starting to think that I should have post these two chapters along with the last one. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 4: Stories and Destinations

After Iroh calmed down he thanked the four for their kindness and support, and he lay back against the gear along the back of the saddle. He'd placed the mask down beside him, but the dagger was still held tightly in his grip. He'd soon lapsed into a sleep filled with visions of the past.

Sokka had removed the map, and had begun to study it again. He said, "From the looks of this I would have to say we'd be there in two days. Anybody got any guesses as to where he was trying to send us to?"

"After what he did, I'd doubt that it was some trap. Besides Iroh has told us that he'd given up on capturing me after that one incident." Aang replied, floating over to look at the map.

As the two tried to figure out where they were going and Toph rummaged around for something to eat, Katara had picked up the blue mask. She looked down at it, and she suddenly began to feel a small amount of guilt at all the nasty thoughts she'd had about the late prince. There had been more than one occasion when she'd wished for some tragedy to befall him. Now that she thought of it, the feelings had truly began shortly after the incident where Iroh had been injured. She remembered the anger born of fear in his eyes when he'd demanded them to leave. What was it that had driven the young man; every time she thought she had him pegged he did something to counter her idea.

She studied the mask, tracing the curving features with her fingertips. The smile was somehow hard to place with the so often serious prince. The most she had ever seen from him had been a smirk that had usually irritated her immensely. The fangs were a little too demonic for her tastes, but he'd probably given the illusion of a monster to several people in the past. Katara's gaze then fell to the eyes. It had been only a matter of hours ago that she'd tried to see the eyes through those very holes. Why would he wear this?

'_You dolt, even a child knows why thieves wear masks! He wouldn't want to be recognized._' She thought, angry at her own foolishness.

That night they bedded down in a secluded area of a forest not far from the mountain range that their destination was located. After a dinner consisting of a few assorted meats and fruits the five sat about their small fire. No one was doing much more than making a bit of small talk. That was about to change.

Aang asked, "Iroh, um could you tell us about Zuko so we can try to understand why he did that today?"

Iroh gave a small smile and said, "I doubt it would help to figure out today's events. Even I don't know what could have lead him to the path he chose. However as he is now gone, I suppose it has fallen to me to tell you of his past. This will at least answer those questions you all once asked."

"You mean like why he was so determined in chasing us around the world?" Sokka asked.

"Yes." The elder man nodded. "I remember the first time that I had ever seen my nephew. It was about two weeks after his birth when my ship pulled in; my lovely, late wife and son were waiting on the dock. We arrived at the palace to find Ursa, Zuko's late mother, in the courtyard. She was such a beautiful lady, in body and spirit. She was one of the few ladies of court that could overcome Ozai's temper. I spoke to him, welcoming him to the family, when all of a sudden he sneezed scorching my beard. It took me a couple months to regrow it to the point it had been.

Soon though, Azula was born, and even from early ages could some how manipulate flames with some ease. You see, a firebender's training usually starts when they are five or six due to fire being so potentially dangerous. She would often be found setting her toys ablaze and playing with the flames until someone put them out. Zuko on the other hand always seemed to struggle with his bending, but no more than any other firebender. My brother was instantly convinced that she was a firebending prodigy, and even I noticed, the few times I was home, that Azula was able to get away with more than Zuko. I remember once I had overheard Ozai tell him that Azula was born lucky while he was lucky to be born.

I heard about this incident shortly after my return from Ba Sing Se, and the death of Lu Ten. My brother did something to anger our father and thus decreed that Zuko would die to teach him a lesson. Servants were able to tell me that it had been Ozai that killed my father after Ursa died in exchange for Zuko's life. Ozai though made sure that all of this was covered up, and took my place as Fire Lord. After that I did what I could to protect Zuko from his father's influence, having retired as general."

"Listen I feel bad for him. I really do, but that doesn't explain why he chased us for so long." Sokka commented.

Katara said, "In one encounter we had, he told me he was trying to regain his honor."

Iroh nodded and continued, "Yes, it started about three years ago. Zuko convinced me to help him sit in on one of his father's war councils. He said that he needed to learn all that he could in order to become a worthy Fire Lord one day. There was a general who proposed a plan that would sacrifice an entire division of new recruits to defeat a regiment of veteran earthbenders. He spoke out against it. Though he was correct in his protest, it was a show of disrespect, and thus an Agni Kai was issued."

Toph quickly asked, "What's an Agni Kai?"

"A fire duel." Aang said quietly. "They weren't done very often a hundred years ago, but I did see a few. They were one of the few things I didn't enjoy when I visited my friends in the Fire Nation. They had a tendency to become rather…brutal."

"Yes, they can." Iroh sighed. "As the match began Zuko stood and turned to his opponent. He was not prepared for who he saw, his father. Because his protest was in his father's council the disrespect was to him rather than the general. Upon seeing his father Zuko bowed down and pleaded for forgiveness. Ozai claimed that he would have to learn respect through suffering, giving his own son that scar, and when he did I turned away. Immediately following that Ozai decreed that Zuko was to be banished from the Fire Nation, and that he'd only be allowed to return if he found and captured the Avatar. You see, Zuko loves his father very much and has tried to make him proud all his life, but he is his mother's son and inherited her kind heart."

The four younger people each sat back from their rapt attention of the story of the late prince. Suddenly it was as if the mad drive the man had to capture Aang made some sense, but still not much. They still could not understand how it must feel to have a father that would purposely rid himself of you. Iroh had explained what had happened after the events at the North Pole to them before. Soon the group each fell into deep slumbers.

They left their campsite an hour after sunrise, heading to the south toward their destination. They all sat about the saddle, each going about their own little activity. Katara was mending a shirt of Sokka's as he sharpened his boomerang while keeping an eye out for any sign of fire nation troops. Iroh and Toph were working on some So Doku puzzles, and Aang was fiddling with a couple of small stones. They would arrive by sunset of the next day, and Zuko's act had given them the chance to lose their pursuers.

That day passed without any remarkable events, and soon they came to the next. After crossing a few miles of ocean, they came to a land riddled with mountain ranges. It appeared that the location on the map was situated in the middle of the peaks. Aang couldn't help the feeling of remembrance as he looked about. What was it that was teetering on the edge of his memory?

The answer to this came at two hours till sunset. They came within sight of the central peak to behold its summit. They gazed at the Eastern Air Temple as they approached, and Aang tried to find an area for Appa to land. It looked as the Southern Temple had, walls crumbling, no lights, and not a soul in sight. This had once been a thriving place of life with some of the highest order monks. Now it was no more than a silent reminder of a time long gone. They landed in the courtyard to be surprised that almost everything but the things that only an earthbender could handle by them self was cleaned.

"Um, correct if I'm wrong, but shouldn't this place be, I don't know, more demolished than this?" Sokka asked to no one in particular.

Aang replied, "I, I would have thought so, but it doesn't look nearly as bad as the Southern Temple did. Do you think Zuko could have done this?"

"Yes, he did." Iroh answered from what was left of a doorway to one of the large meditation gardens.

They followed him down the remnants of the stairs to the garden. What they saw was a sobering sight. The old garden was littered with logs of varying sizes sticking out of the ground in rows. Each log had a symbol carved and then seared into it. The logs either bore the three spirals of the Air Nomads or the tri tipped flame of the Fire Nation. The graves were all mixed together it wasn't Fire Nation on one side and Air Nomads on the other. The sight only made them hope that the spirits of those dead could find peace together in death that they'd been denied because of the war.

They explored further through the temple, and found the other work Zuko had been able to do. The kitchens, though not spotless, were for the most part clean, and there were a few items there; some drying meat and a few half empty bags of fruits. The library showed signs of being used even though a number of the scrolls were still covered in dust. There was a table that had candles with recently melted wax at their bases, and scrolls telling of the four nations before the war. Only one of the bedrooms had been cleaned, and they assumed that Zuko had used it.

Iroh recommended, "Miss Katara, how about you use this room for now, and see to supper. While you're doing that, the rest of us shall be finding rooms for ourselves, and prepare them for the night."

Looking around at the others, who didn't supply any protest to the idea, Katara nodded, "That sounds good enough to me, Iroh. I'll go see what I can do down in the kitchen. I'll give a yell if the food's done before you."

From the supplies they had and the few edible items Zuko had left Katara had managed to make a descent soup. As was almost the usual she received gracious compliments about her cooking from the old firebender. It truly surprised her with his manners and how polite Iroh could be about things she and the others seemed to take for granted. She usually chalked it up to his being raised as a royal at court. Then again so was Zuko, and, while never having eaten a meal with the late prince, she just couldn't grasp the idea that he would act like his uncle did. Where Sokka and Toph would seem to just shovel their food and Aang would either follow suit or play with it while he ate, Iroh showed exemplary manners. She still laughed at the time she had convinced him to teach the others at least some table manners. Teaching them to Sokka was something even beyond the Dragon of the West's ability.

After dinner they took their packs up to their rooms. They were going to be there for a while and they decided that they would get comfortable, pretty much settling in for now. Katara, using one of the candles that Iroh had Aang light, began to light the sconces in her room. As she unpacked she stumbled across a pile of clothes. They weren't in great condition, but still usable. On the top was a vaguely familiar item, the long tunic that Zuko had worn the last couple times she saw him. She lifted it, and saw how torn and ragged it was. When she'd first seen him, he always wore the armor and uniform of his nation, and it was always clean and in perfect order. After the North Pole he wore clothes not too high above rags. That was an indicator of just how far he had fallen.

She folded it back up and placed it back on top of the pile, which she moved to the floor of a wardrobe. She didn't know why, but she couldn't bring herself to get rid of them. She shook the idea out of her head. He was gone, died giving them a chance to escape to this sanctuary. She lay down on the bed and pulled the blanket up around her. Even over a hundred years the bed hadn't lost much of its comfortableness, but as she snuggled into the pillow she noticed something else. There was a faint smell to the bed, a smell like autumn leaves and smoked wood, and she had to admit she found it almost pleasant.

The next morning she got up just before dawn, and dressed. When she got down to the courtyard she heard someone digging and a few mild grunts. She walked over to the passage to the graveyard they had found the previous day, and saw a bulky figure sitting on the ground. As she approached she saw that it was Iroh, but couldn't see what he was doing with his back toward her. Katara slowly sat to his side, her legs tucked underneath her. He lift a log about a foot in diameter and three feet long, and sunk it into the hole he had made. It left just over two feet sticking out of the ground, and she saw the Fire Nation symbol just above the writing burned into it.

_In memory of _

_Prince Zuko_

_May he know the honor in death _

_he was denied in life_

"That is a very touching sentiment." She said, giving him a sad smile.

"Unfortunately, almost no one could see just how much honor he truly had, not even himself." Iroh replied, looking out toward the sun beginning to break the horizon.

After a moment of silence Katara said, "Hang on, there's something missing. I'll be right back."

She ran off and returned a few moments later, carrying something in her arms. She walked up to grave marker and tied the object to it so it hung just under the epitaph. Iroh looked at it, and couldn't help the smile that came to his face. There hung the mask of the Blue Spirit.

"I thank you Katara." He said with a small bow. "Here, I think you would might enjoy looking at these."

He pulled a small stack of canvas squares from one of his pockets, and held them out to her. She took them gently and looked down at what was on them. They were each a different drawing of people. The first was of three men; the eldest in the middle wore a flame ornament in his topknot. She looked back up at him with a quizzical expression.

He explained, "These are drawings of my family I have carried for many years. I first started doing this the first time I went off to battle. That is my father, brother, and I many years ago."

The next image was of a pretty lady with a little boy sitting on her lap.

"Ah, one of my dearest drawings, my wife Leeta and son Lu Ten."

Then there was a young man who wore Fire Nation armor; she could tell who this was.

"Lu Ten, again?" She asked.

He nodded, "Just before leaving for his first mission."

The next was of a beautiful woman with a little girl on her lap and a young boy standing beside her.

Iroh said, "That is Ursa, Azula, and Zuko when he was about six years old."

He looked completely different. This was the first time she had ever seen him without his scar, not to mention the smile of true contentment on his face. She pulled out the next one to find an older, perhaps fourteen, version of the boy. Now her eyes widened in surprise. The boy in the drawing was one of the most handsome she had seen in her life.

She asked with a little bashfulness in her voice, "Is this really what Zuko looked like before…well you know?"

Iroh gave a nod and said, "Yes, I had this done on his fourteenth birthday, only a couple months before his banishment. Now, that's enough with all these thoughts of the past. We should be looking toward the future, and in doing so I have a student to wake for training. Perhaps though, you could find it in your heart to start a pot of tea for an old man?"

"Of course, Iroh. Thank you for sharing these with me." She smiled handing the stack back to him. "Oh, I've been meaning to ask you something else. What's the story behind the knife?"

Iroh looked at her then shifted his gaze to the rising sun. He answered, "When we breeched the outer wall of Ba Sing Se, we captured a general, who presented that pearl dagger to me. After reading the inscription on the blade I sent it home to Zuko. _Never give up without a fight_. Those were words he took to heart…and his grave."

She had to admit that she couldn't think of a motto that fit the fire prince anymore than that. They both walked away through the passage, neither noticing the light breeze creating a kind of laughing sound as it passed through the blue mask.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Refer to Ch. 1

Chapter 5: Visit to the Land of the Dead

A few hours after the departure of both groups from the chasm a single figure lay prone on the large slab that had once been the Bridge of Hotaru. It had wedged itself between the chasm wall and an up thrust of rock from the lava stream. Shortly after his fall, a glowing blue winged reptile, a dragon, joined the figure. This dragon laid its long body about the young man, creating a protective circle around him.

In a surreal representation of a field that overlooked a sea of clouds the man's eyes drifted half open. He felt tired although that was not quite the right word. It was as if his body did not wish to respond to what his dazed mind was telling it to do.

'_Is this death? This place, it looks so much like home. Is this the land where the departed travel to, but I would not be allowed here. My soul should have gone to the Fields of the Dishonored Dead, where I belong._' He thought somberly.

"My child, you could never be sent there so long as you hold true to my words," A gentle woman's voice said from beside him. "And remember who you are."

"Mother?" He uttered, and managed to turn his head toward the lady sitting to his right among the tall, discolored grass. She was as he remembered her, the elegant pillar of strength and kindness.

She smiled down at him and said, "Yes, my little Zuko, I am here for you."

He closed his eyes as he said almost dejectedly, "Then I am dead."

"Not quite, my dear cousin." A young man's voice said from his other side.

"Lu Ten?" Zuko asked, surprised to see his late cousin.

Lu Ten smirked at him, "In the flesh, well not really. You know what I mean. Anyway, the good news, you're only here for a visit this time."

Ursa helped him into a sitting position, moving so she could aide in propping him up. She said, "Zuko, there's someone here that needs to speak you. He's the main reason you're here, but when I found out whom he was seeing I couldn't keep away. The same goes for your cousin."

That was when Zuko saw him. An older man that still emanated great power and wisdom, and seemed to have the authority of generations in his gaze. He wore the traditional red robes of the Fire Nation, and held his hands clasped together before him. There was no way he could not recognize this man.

"Avatar Roku." Zuko whispered in awe.

With a slight smile, Roku began, "Hello Prince Zuko, and welcome to the border of the living realm and the spirit realm. I believe you've noticed how weak you are feeling? This is due to the injuries you received and the amount of strength you used up before coming here. As we speak, my dragon is seeing to your physical body, healing it best he can. It is not yet time for you to die, and when we are finished you shall be returned to the living realm. You will have to make your own way out of the chasm; we cannot help beyond this point. I have watched your progress closely over the past few months. I ask that you rejoin your uncle and ally with my current incarnation, Aang. He is to bring balance back to this world, but he will need all the help he can get to do it by summer's end. As you know the Fire Nation can't continue on the path it now walks. They have lost sight of why they began the war in the first place. They only wish for power and dominance now, and not the honor that was once held in such reverence."

Zuko looked down as the man's words sunk in. He spoke the truth, a truth he had been hiding from for so many years. He had the scar to show that it was true, given by a man he had admired for years, but who could only think about his own power. In that instant Zuko made an oath.

He said with great conviction, "I swear to you, Avatar Roku, I will do everything in my power to restore our nation to it former, honorable glory. I will aide the current Avatar to end this war, and bring peace back. I shall do what ever is necessary to correct the atrocities committed by our people. I swear it on my very soul."

Roku bowed his head and said, "Then I shall have no worries about the future. I'll give you a few more minutes with your family before you go back. Farewell, Prince Zuko."

As he faded from sight, Lu ten moved up beside Zuko, and asked. "Can you tell my father…tell him that I miss him, but that we will all be together again someday?"

"Of course."

Lu Ten smiled and as he too began to fade called out, "Oh, and that goes for you too by the way."

As he gave a small chuckle, his mother laid him back until his head was in her lap. She said softly, "You've grown so much since I last saw you. Your topknot's gone, but I have to say you do look quite handsome without it. Maybe you should keep it off. Though, I would prefer that you didn't have to bare that scar. That is one thing I'll never be able to forgive Ozai for, hurting you on purpose."

Seeing tears start to form in her eyes, Zuko started, "Mother…"

Ursa quickly wiped her eyes dry and continued, "No, no, I'm fine. It's just that I have to miss out on so much of your life, and that I too have and will truly miss you. However, and don't take this the wrong way, but I don't want to see you here again for many, many years." She started to fade as well, but continued to the last. "Zuko, I'm running out of time, but there's a few things I've got to say. Don't be afraid to let her in. You don't have to push everyone back to keep from getting hurt like you were after my death. She can help you. And always remember that I love you, my son."

Even though she was gone, he felt that she could hear as he whispered, "I love you, mother." Then he too faded.

Zuko opened his eyes slowly to be met by the retreating form of a glowing blue dragon. The spirit didn't acknowledge him as he rose from his prone position, and gave it a small bow of the head. He now looked around him to see the lava flow that ran the bottom of the chasm, a briefest hint of what lay beneath everything. The planet itself was nothing more than a layered ball of the four elements. In the center raged the inferno of the core, containing its fury was the rock and dirt, sitting upon that in large and small bodies was water, and over all of that was the air. Zuko now appreciated the Avatar's spiral symbol in each of the nation's emblems. It was a testament to the planet itself.

He gazed at the walls around him, towering high beyond his sight. The surfaces were craggy and would be relatively easy to climb. The problem was the distance. He placed cautious fingers upon the wall, and immediately drew them back. He'd need protection for his hands until he was high enough that the lava no longer heated the rock. Without hesitation he ripped the sleeves from his shirt, and wrapped them about his hands.

The climb was more treacherous then he had predicted, having slipped more than once for a number of reasons. Some hand or footholds would give out when he tried to support his weight on them. He'd end up sliding down the wall until he could grab another hold or hit a ledge. He rested for a few minutes at every ledge that was large enough for him to sit, understanding that he'd need all the strength he could get along the way. Once he'd sat, he dozed off, and awoke to find that he'd not moved a muscle. Unfortunately, this had lead to a seriously stiff back, and not much room to stretch.

When he'd gotten high enough that he could no longer see the faintest light from the lava far below, he looked up to see nothing but blackness above. He had severely wished that it were simply night, trying hard not to lose hope of ever seeing the surface again. For some time he'd been forced to use his fire breath just to find a few of the holds. At one point he awoke on a ledge to gaze up toward the sight of the gray sky predawn. As it grew brighter he saw that there was only a couple hundred yards left to climb. This gave him a new burst of energy, of determination. This goal of his was so close, and this time he wouldn't let anything get in his way. Late morning that day found a rough hand bound with a worn cloth reach up over the edge of the chasm, grasping for anything to latch on to. Zuko soon pulled himself up, and rolled into a laying position upon the grass, heavy breaths being drawn in by parched, cracked lips. He let his head lull to the side, only to be greeted by the sight of two people staring right back at him.

The older one asked politely, "Would you care to join us for lunch…your highness? Meng, why don't you prepare a cup of tea for young man."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Refer to Ch.1

Chapter 6: Meeting the Fortuneteller

The first of the two was an older woman, who wore a yellow dress and a gold hairpin to hold her gray hair up in its large bun. She gave off an aura of superiority and slight mystery, almost as if she had such knowledge that was known only to her. The second was a girl of only eleven or twelve. She had her black hair up in two thick pigtails that stuck out from either side of her head, and wore a pink dress in the standard Earth Kingdom style. He now knew, from what the older woman said, that her name was Meng.

The older woman took the cup of tea and proceeded over to the prone prince. She kneeled down to his side, and helped him into a sitting position, offering the cup. He weakly raised his arms, taking hold of it shakily with both hands. He brought it to his cracked lips, and let some of the warm liquid slide into his dry mouth. He swished it throughout his mouth to hit everywhere before finally swallowing. He could not describe the glorious feeling of the soothing effect in his throat.

After another sip, he roughly asked, "Who?"

The woman smiled, "It's Wu, actually, and you may call me Aunt Wu. I am a fortuneteller from a village some ways from here. I foresaw your need for aide, and came here. After all, you have not yet reached the end of life's path. Now though I believe we should care for that scar of yours. It seems to be a bit inflamed, no pun intended. Meng, be a dear, and bring the bandages."

The two helped him over toward the fire after wrapping his face so only his right eye, hair, and mouth could be seen, and let him sit against a log. As they began to dish out the stew that had hung over the fire, they were joined by a man in his forties or fifties. He explained that he had driven the cart they'd arrived in and had been caring for their ostrich horses. They returned the saddlebags that Zuko had removed before using his mount to run off his sister's. He wasn't too concerned about having them back. They'd only contained a few pieces of food and personal items, but mostly just some feed for the ostrich horse. The creature was smart, no doubt he would do as he was told and return to the young nurse, Song.

After lunch, Aunt Wu asked, "May I please see your palm, young man?"

Zuko gave her a suspicious look, but raised his hand palm up. She took a gentle hold of his wrist and gazed at the contours. She cocked her eyebrow as she noticed something about his future. It actually took her quite a bit of effort not to lose her composure when she saw it.

Zuko's eye's narrowed further as he growled, "What is it that you think you see?"

"I'm not really sure. Your hands are too roughed up to read accurately." She replied with an innocent smile. "Now, why don't you get some rest so you can head out to join your uncle and the Avatar tomorrow. You can always come see me some other time."

As he laid down rolling onto his side he mumbled, "Yeah, sure. Like I'm ever going to seek out a fortuneteller."

After they were sure he was asleep, Meng asked, "So, Aunt Wu, what _did _you see?"

She replied with a genuine smile, "Something that so rarely happens, only once or twice in a lifetime. This boy's future is divided into different paths. He has no set destiny, but is actually capable of choosing his future. And some thing not as rare is that one of them crosses with another's that I've already told."

Zuko had woken for dinner, but was asleep again after a few hours of talk with the small group. They spoke of the current events in the world. He'd learned that the incident at the bridge had occurred two days prior. Rumors of a new offensive against Ba Sing Se to be launched from Omashu had reached their small village. The capital was the largest of the Earth Kingdom cities, and if it fell there would be no true chance for the people. Zuko wasn't too worried about the large city. Even with their strongest forces his uncle had only ever been able breech the outer wall. It was likely that they'd wait to start the new siege until just before the comet arrived so that they could again breach the wall and be gifted by the comet once inside. They only had about two months left.

Zuko woke the next morning to find the others preparing to leave. It was only then that he realized that he was on the wrong side of the chasm, something he'd feared when he began the exhausting climb. It would take days to go around, perhaps an entire week on foot. That had been one of the reasons for heading this direction, he'd intended for the bridge to be destroyed, just not like it had been. He was again startled as the driver walked past him to the chasm's edge.

Aunt Wu called from beside the cart, "Did I forget to mention that our driver is an earthbender? Anyhow, he'll create a bridge for you to cross, and don't worry we'll destroy it afterwards so no troops can cross. You did well, your sister shall not find your hideaway."

Zuko watched as with a stomp of the man's foot and thrust of his arm a length a rock extended from one side to the other of the chasm. He adjusted the swords at his side and threw the saddlebags over his shoulder. After a shared nod between them Zuko dashed across, heading toward one of the forks in the path of his future. He looked back as the temporary bridge crumbled, and out of gratitude waved back at the three. Then he turned to move along. He had much to do, and not too much time to do it.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Refer to Ch.1

Chapter 7: Fight with a Phantom

It had been just over a week since they arrived at the temple, and the group had settled in fairly comfortably. They'd had to make a flight to the nearest village for supplies after the first few days. They'd also worked on clearing the courtyard with Aang and Toph's earthbending. They had created a moderately sized fountain pool along one of the walls for when Katara and Aang worked at waterbending. They had also started working at repairing the walls that had crumbled, but that was going very slowly.

It was morning of their tenth day at the temple, and they were just walking out from breakfast. As Aang was mentally preparing for his training session with Iroh a cloaked figure came up over a pile of rubble from one of the walls. The person stood there on top of the pile, and then raised his arm to point at the twelve-year-old boy.

"Avatar," He called out, "I wish to see how far your training has come! You have one of the greatest firebending teachers in the world, but has he been able to teach you how to fight like a firebender? Show me your skill!"

With that he jumped from the pile straight at Aang, flame starting to form about his foot. He was coming down to fire stomp his opponent, but Aang's reflexes managed to let him jump back in time. As soon as he came down the person threw forward both fists, sending out a large fire blast. Aang, still moving back, leaned back with the jump, the flame passing mere inches away. He continued into a flip and landed on all fours. As his hands hit the ground he generated a wave of dirt, pushing it toward his attacker.

The man let his cloak slide off, revealing a bandaged face, covering all but his right eye and lips, and tattered clothing. He reached down for the swords at his side. With a loud shout he drew it into a vertical slash, a strong flame trailing after it. The movement caught the wave head on, and the others watched as it was split, passing to either side of the man. His movement continued till his sword was split in half, becoming two.

As he rushed at Aang he shouted, "That was pitiful! You're going to have to do better!"

The others watched as their friend dodged the flashing blades. Katara had tried to move forward to help Aang, but had been stopped by both Toph and Iroh.

"What do you think you are doing? We have to help him." She said in confused anger.

"Cool it, Sugar Queen. Aang might get a bit roughed up, but he'll be alright." Toph said without facing her, a habit that that still kind of ticked Katara off.

"Toph is right. Consider this a test for him, for them both. I can guarantee you that serious harm is not the intent of this. This is a one-on-one match, we cannot interfere." Iroh agreed. There was a tone to his voice though, one that was of worry, happiness, pride, and surprise.

Sokka was oblivious to their words as he was shouting at Aang. He would cheer at the hits his friend struck on the man, and would boo at the hits Bandage Face, as he had dubbed him, landed. As all of his concentration was on the fight, there were a few things he did catch. One was the fact that Bandage Face wouldn't hit Aang with the blade of either sword. So either he didn't want to kill Aang, or he wanted to do it slowly. His mind was also going through a list of firebenders that could have found them, and at that thought Sokka burst into a run toward the walls to check for enemy troops.

Bandage Face brought his blades down in a cross slash, and Aang jumped over him, landing a few feet behind his attacker. As he turned, Aang shot a blast of fire straight toward the man, who still had his back to him, though he had been looking over his shoulder. The man turned swinging the swords in an arc deflecting the blast to the side. Almost immediately, Aang moved to create a large current of air. With a quick crossing motion of his arms a powerful spiraling gust shot out, and his opponent kneeled down, stabbing the blades into the ground. Unfortunately, try as he might he couldn't hang on, and was thrown back hitting the ground twice before sliding to a halt.

Aang rushed forward, and using the hilts as a vault, he flipped in the air to come down with his own fire stomp. Bandage Face seeing this back rolled leaving a trail of fire from his feet. As Aang landed he bended a large stream of water from the fountain pool, and sent it hurtling at the man. Seeing this he spread his arms out to produce two large wings of flame, which wrapped around him as he brought his arms forward.

Iroh gasped, "The Wings of the Dragon, it's a powerful defensive technique. How did he know it?"

A slight mist formed as the water was evaporated as it was about to touched the flames. As the last of the water vanished so did the wings, and Bandage Face dropped down, performing a roundhouse fire kick. As the flames approached him, Aang also dropped down, this motion raised a small barrier in front of him. It exploded upon impact, its debris mixing with the mist to form a near impossible to see through cloud around him.

"Where are you, Avatar? This isn't the extent of your abilities. If so, then you have no chance of defeating the Fire Lord, not even his daughter, and everything you've done will be in vain!" Bandage Face called out.

"That will not be. I must defeat him." An eerie multiple toned voice sounded.

The cloud of dust was quickly pushed out in all directions, unveiling the young boy whose eyes and arrow markings were glowing bright. Aang had entered the feared Avatar State. Katara again tried to move to aide her friend, but was again held back. Even Sokka had stopped his search to gaze back at the glowing boy. They watched as his opponent apprehensively moved one foot back to begin his flee, but he tensed and moved it forward again, falling into a ready stance. He would face this ominous challenge head on.

Aang lifted his hand, creating a tall wall of fire. He then brought the other hand forward in a hard punch. The wall moved quickly, barely even skimming the ground as it passed. The man's one uncovered eye closed, and he relaxed, focusing everything he had. As the wall was about to he strike raised his arms. The wall wrapped around him, making a kind of dome. That dome burst, and as the flame dissipated the man was again protected by flaming wings. These were different then before. Where the first had been dragon-like, these resembled a bird's, and most distinctly these consisted of white flames.

Now Iroh's words were in a disbelieving awe. He muttered, almost at a whisper, "How can this be? I can't even perform that technique, and if he goes on much further than this he'll die."

As the man extinguished the flames he teetered for a moment, and Aang began the movements to fire a bolt of lightening. Bandage Face realized what was going to happen, and dashed forward. He made it right as Aang's hand was moving forward. He lashed out, grabbed the hand, moved his chi through his body, and pushed the lightening out over one of the other walls, scaring a flock of nearby birds. A high arcing kick from the man followed, but Aang dropped down, arms back preparing for one last powerful blast. He wouldn't get the chance as the man's hand, flames licking at the edges of it, came up swiftly as his leg went down. The strike caught Aang in the gut, knocking the air from his body, and the glowing faded as he was raised up about a foot off the ground. He was quickly let back down, and quickly fell into a laying position as his opponent fell to his hands and knees, gasping for breath along with Aang. The others had made it to their sides before either could begin to rise.

Katara helped Aang to a sitting position. He smiled at the now standing man as he said, "You know, I think this is the first time I've ever fought a phantom…or even really met one."

"You realized, did you? Then I guess there's no need for this." He replied, and reached for the bandages. There was a gasp from either water tribesmen as he lifted the wrapping to reveal a scar over the left side of his face, Prince Zuko.

"It can't be, it just can't be." Katara whispered, shaking her head in disbelief.

Sokka, recovered from the fish-like face he was giving, and shouted, "What the heck is going on here? YOU ARE DEAD! We saw the lava, you fall into the chasm, and there was nothing left. I repeat, YOU DIED!"

Zuko smirked, "That's right, but lets just say that I can't rest peacefully in my grave while my father and sister continue this war." As Iroh approached him, he bowed with a smile. "Uncle…"

Before he had a chance to straighten up there was a quick swat to the back of his head. He stumbled slightly and stood back up with an angered glare, but Iroh remained calm as ever.

"What was that for?" Zuko shouted.

"That was for the years you took off my life from all the worrying I did about you. While I am glad you took me to these fine people, I am upset that you would go out on your own again, leaving only a note for me." Iroh replied in an authoritive tone.

"Uncle please, the note explained why I left. I…" Zuko's attempt to pacify his uncle was cut off as the old man pulled him into a hug.

Zuko was near frozen from shock. True it wasn't the first time that the retired general had done this, but Zuko had long since lost any comfort in these situations. The fact was the hug his uncle had given him before the attack on the Northern Water Tribe had been the first he had since his mother's death. After a few moments he awkwardly returned the gesture.

"Lu Ten sent a message for you. He wants you to know that he misses you, but you'll all be together again someday." Zuko said softly, and Iroh's eyes watered over. Zuko stepped away so that he faced Aang, who was still sitting on the floor. He bowed low to the boy before him. "Avatar, I offer you my allegiance to end this war, if you will accept it."

Aang stared at him for a few moments with a look of confusion all over his face before he said, "Um…yeah, ok. I have to ask you one thing, though, why attack me like that?"

Iroh stepped up and answered, "I believe my nephew wished to see how far you had come in your training. I would suggest that you consider this a sparring match, and with him here you can now truly have a sparring partner for firebending. Lets face it, my old body can't exactly keep up with you, even if you are older."

All this time the others stood there and watched, as their once greatest threat became a member of their closely-knit group. Sokka was at first obsessed with the fact that apparently he admitted to dieing, and that would mean that Zuko was a ZOMBIE. Toph was taking it all in stride. Ever since her first meeting with Iroh, she had felt a fondness for the old man. He was the first person to truly treat her with respect without concern of her disability. She could sense unapparent things about people through the way they moved, and had always felt conflict when Zuko had been nearby. Now though, some of that conflict had been quelled. She was happy for him for that. Katara looked on from Aang's side as she began to heal his bruises and small cuts. She had mixed feelings about all this. She used to despise the fire prince for his persistent hunt of her friend, but at the same time she respected his determination. Her respect had begun to grow after learning more about him, but she still felt a weariness around him.

"Now if you all excuse me, I think I'll take a note from your page, Uncle, and go take a hot bath." Zuko said as he started off for the steps to the bedrooms to fetch some clothes.

Katara called out, "Wait, what about your injuries? I can heal them if you want."

Zuko turned back with a rather confused look. He asked, "How?"

"Watch." She answered and raised Aang's arm that still had a small cut. "My waterbending is capable of healing, but I thought you knew that when you brought Iroh to us."

Zuko had been watching as she formed water about her hand, and with it glowing the wound disappeared. He had a look of astonishment as he replied, "I'd heard of the rumors, but I thought that was all they were. I simply remembered that you said you could help him."

"So you agree to let me help you?"

"Yes. I'll just go get a change of clothes, and meet you over by the fountain." He said off handedly as he walked away again.

As soon as he was out of sight, Sokka yelled, "How could you agree to heal an undead monster like him? He'll probably try to eat our brains tonight!"

Toph snatched the front of his shirt to pull him down to her level, and said, "Hey, numbskull. When he said he died, he wasn't being literal."

Iroh gave a small half smile as he agreed, "She right, but I have no doubt that he had an experience with the spirit world."

Aang stood and commented, "He certainly seems less…cranky?"

"Not to mention arrogant, obsessed, homicidal, rude, spoiled bratty, and whatever other words described him." Sokka added.

Iroh simply said, "I think he has begun to come to terms with a bit of his past. He's acting more like his self before the banishment."


End file.
